Feed (Newsflesh, #1) in SA Book & Challenge Lovers

Oct 06, 2012 Gerhard rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, horror-thriller-mystery

The second volume in the so-called 'Newflesh' Trilogy, 'Deadline', was nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award (won by 'Among Others' by Jo Walton. This intrigued me enough to hunt out and, er, devour the opening volume first, 'Feed' (a clever play on zombie dietary habits and news feeds ... a more tech-savvy colleague pointed out to me that the symbol on the cover represents an RSS feed, doh).

While the novel takes place in a post-apocalypse Walking Dead type of zombified world, the focus here is very The second volume in the so-called 'Newflesh' Trilogy, 'Deadline', was nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award (won by 'Among Others' by Jo Walton. This intrigued me enough to hunt out and, er, devour the opening volume first, 'Feed' (a clever play on zombie dietary habits and news feeds ... a more tech-savvy colleague pointed out to me that the symbol on the cover represents an RSS feed, doh).

While the novel takes place in a post-apocalypse Walking Dead type of zombified world, the focus here is very much on What Happens After. We follow a brother-and-sister blogging outfit as they cover a future presidential election in the US, which gives Grant ample room to comment on future media, technological and socio-political trends. Given that 'Feed' was published originally in 2010, it is remarkably topical. And suitably cynical.

The prosaic origins of the apocalypse are revealed almost as a series of asides, with much discussion of viral loads and other epidemiological matters. This sounds boring, but is in fact quite interesting, and is what transforms an otherwise by-the-numbers zombie novel into quite interesting sociological SF. ('Feed' is likely to join 'Zone One' and 'Warm Bodies' as zombie novels that managed to successfully edify their genre trappings).

My only gripes are the pedestrian and often clunky writing, which makes this read more like a YA novel, and the heavy-handed plot twists, especially the dewy-eyed ending. (It will be interesting to see how 'Deadline' continues the story, given how dramatically, not to mention terminally, 'Feed' ends).

It is also unclear why Grant opted for her protagonists to be a brother-and-sister team so self-bonded they share everything, including hotel rooms, and who have no relationship outside this sibling set-up.

Grant does attempt to poke fun at the incestuous implications, but her humour here largely falls flat, as it does with poking fun at the media-savvy Mason poster parents, and leaves the reader more uncomfortable than anything else. I personally feel the ending would have been far more emotionally resonant if Georgia and Shaun had been a couple. Remember Romeo & Juliet and that bummer of an ending? Kids love a bit of intermingled death and romance. ...more

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May 01, 2012 Stacy Walker rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-ebooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 24, 2012 Nadine May rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, general-fiction

It was a great read. The horror element of the plot made one powerful message very clear to me. That Fear and terror makes people into zombies, and many people in leadership roles use those two emotions to control the people who willingly choose the very people who are in power!

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